Grinder Sparksaglo and Julien Couton

GRINDER SPARKSAGLO PREVAILS IN SATURDAY FEATURE

AUBURN, Wash. (August 25, 2018) – Grinder Sparksaglo rallied inside and held off Conquest Cobra for a three-quarter-length victory in Saturday’s $21,000 Mike “Spanky” LeClair Memorial Purse for 3-year-olds and up.

Winner of the Portland Meadows Mile earlier this year, the versatile Grinder Sparkasglo ran 6 ½ furlongs in 1:15.44 and paid $14.40, $6.20 and $3. Julien Couton rode the winner for trainer Robbie Baze and owner Richard Sena.

Conquest Cobra, ridden by Rocco Bowen, rallied from last to snatch second, paying $4.40 and $2.80, while Hit the Beach, ridden by Jose Zunino, finished third and paid $3 to show. Mah Gellin and Owners’ Prtestige rounded out the order of finish.

Grinder Sparaksglo sat behind the leaders, as Owners’ Prestige set fractions of :22.41 and :44.16, remained inside and powered to the lead past mid-stretch and held off a flying Conquest Cobra.

A 7-year-old Washington-bred by 1996 Kentucky Derby winner Grindstone, Grinder Sparksaglo is 13 for 48 lifetime with $206,247 in earnings.

Baze said Grinder Sparksaglo would be pointed to the $50,000 Muckleshoot Tribal Classic on Sunday, September 9.

NOTES: Saturday’s feature race was a memorial for Mike “Spanky” LeClair, a popular long-time groom at Northwest tracks who died last winter of diabetes. . . Cody’s Choice ($7.40) became a triple winner at the meet with a gate-to-wire victory in race seven, zipping six furlong in 1:08.86 under Javier Matias for trainer Vince Gibson and owners Pam Gibson and Maureen Hallett. . .After going seven years between wins at Emerald Downs, Chu and I ($12) made it two straight with a victory under apprentice Alex Anaya in race eight. . .Washington-bred Psycho Sister ($6.20) prevailed in a $33,000 allowance for fillies on turf Saturday at Golden Gate Fields. A 5-year-old by Freud-Melba Jewel, Psycho Sister is 3-2-1 in eight starts this year with earnings over $78,000. . .Sky Promise ($4) captured the final running of the $200,000 Canadian Derby at Northlands Park, running 1 3/8 miles in 2:20.11 under Rico Walcott. A new track near Edmonton, Century Mile, is scheduled to open next year. . .Live racing continues Sunday with a stakes triple-header featuring Washington Cup events for 3-year-old colts and geldings and 3-year-old fillies, and the $30,000 Bank of America Challenge for older Quarter Horses. First post is 2 p.m., and the 10-race card includes a $14,565 carryover in the $0.20 Jackpot Pick 7.

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